Motivating Kids to Help Clean Up

Sometimes it's hard to get kids to help when it comes to cleaning up their room or picking up toys. You really have to try to make it fun in order to want to do it. Most people know the Barney "Clean Up" song but, I also have a different one to get them helping. I sing (in my off-tune singing voice) "I like the way, way, way everybody's cleaning up" & then I interject the kid's name who is actually helping. I say "I like the way, way, way Emily's cleaning up" and that usually motivate's the next kid to start helping & I sing their name. I've even resorted to singing "I like the way Mommy's cleaning up" when nobody else is -gotta do what ya gotta do! I keep interjecting the kids names as we're cleaning & pretty soon it's done. Sometimes I just make a race out of it & that tends to motivate my 4 yr old. He loves the challenge. "I can do it faster than you Mommy!" or "I can get more than you Mommy!". That's always good. Sometimes I pretend to look for things that I see on the floor like "I wonder where that duck puzzle piece is?" and then Cameron says excitedly "Oh look, I found it!" and he grabs it up not knowing that I knew all along. I reserve that for items that are the farthest from me so, I don't have to go get it- Ha! Or I'll say "maybe it's under the train table or "maybe it's under the couch" in an effort to get those areas cleaned out from underneath. Sometimes I'll just suggest something fun we'll do after we get everything picked up & that usually works too. I can't wait til there older & too sophisticated for this stuff & refuse to do it altogether -Not!